Discipline in Schools Essay Example for Free

Discipline in Schools Essay A majority of us have families with children various ages, and the title of this article caught my eye for the simple fact I have teenage kids in school that have previously been assigned in-school suspension for minor disciplinary acts such as being tardy or turning in incomplete assignments. Working adults and parents are the primary targets of this particular article which sparks my personal interest towards this issue. I felt the author of this article gave a somewhat neutral observation of this topic, giving both sides of the story in a calm yet quite informative tone. He listed infractions that resulted in suspensions as well as different types of suspension outcomes. It’s important to note that suspending a student for being disruptive in class and suspending a student for fighting should be handled differently however both instances should require the students to continue working on their curriculum. With references from other educators as well as reports from the US Department of Education I would have to say that the contents of this article appear to be creditable. Results from out of school suspensions prove to be doing more harm than good, leaving students at home unsupervised with a couple days off with no curriculum to work on verses the alternative of requiring students to attend on the weekends seems to be a better solution, however funding for weekend programs is a separate issue. The authors intend of this article is to inform and acknowledge new alternatives need to be explored when it comes to disciplinary actions such as suspensions. Additional resources will have to be implemented, academic and financial. Overall I thought this to be a particularly interesting and informative article.

Dissertation Exploring The Impacts Of Recession

Dissertation Exploring The Impacts Of Recession The purpose of this study is to explore the repercussions of recession on the British Stock Market particularly expounding its impact on Alternative Investment Market. The study aims to utilise qualitative approach to examine and constitute the relative repercussions of recession upon AIM. For this, an exhaustive literature review of the London Stock Exchange is essential to gain indicative factors relevant to account for the associated risks of recession to AIM. According to research on UK firms, uncertainty shocks typically reduce the responsiveness of firms by more than half, leaving monetary and fiscal policy-makers relatively powerless (Bloom et al, 2007). 1.1 LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE LSE is amongst the oldest stock exchanges in Europe and also the most promising out of the 22 active stock exchanges functioning in Great Britain. It was established in 1801 and has emerged as the largest stock exchanges of the world comprising of number of overseas as well as British companies (London Stock Exchange, 2005). The positioning of London city is beneficial as it let the London Stock Exchange to function during American and Asian sessions. Being a public company its shares are traded on stock exchanges and is considered to be the most international trading floor and about 50% of international transactions with shares are concluded on LSE (London Stock Exchange, 2005). The London Stock Exchange has four main quarters that include equity markets which facilitates companies from across the globe to raise capital (London Stock Exchange, 2005). There are the four primary markets that include: The Main Market, Alternative Investment Market (AIM), Professional Securities Market (PSM) and Specialist Fund Market (SFM). London Stock Exchange is a highly active market that provides range of trading services including trading in a range of securities as for example, UK and international equities, debt, covered warrants, exchange traded funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs), REITs, fixed interest, contracts for difference (CFDs) and depositary receipts (London Stock Exchange, 2005). It provides market data information with clarity offering real-time prices, news and other financial information to the global financial community. EDX London, established in 2003serves as a major contributor to derivatives business in order to bring the cash equity and derivatives markets closer together the London Stock Exchange. 1.2 AIM: AN OVERVIEW London Stock Exchange reviewed the unlisted securities market in1993 during the middle of a recession and decided to close it. Quoted Companies Alliance now referred as CISCO was then born and which lead to the establishment of Alternative Investment Market in June 1995 by London Stock Exchange. With its noticeable endurance for several years; AIM has been a considerable success. Rapid growth has been observed in AIM market, commencing its operation in 1995, it has rose over  £24 billion and listed over 2,200 companies, including 276 foreign companies by January 2006 listing1,408 companies from 33 industrial sectors out of which 220 were from overseas countries. Instead of offering shares to the public AIMs 90% of flotations depends on placing the shares with institutions, venture capital trusts and private investors reinforced by European 191 Prospectus Directive (Thronton, 2009). In order to reduce the pool of capital available to buy new AIM shares, the European 191 Prospectus D irective requires that, a full prospectus must be issued in both conditions where; the company offers shares to more than 100 persons, other than qualified investors or if a private client broker proffer such shares to more than 100 of their clients (Thronton, 2009).. Based in the city of London, AIM benefits from competitive supply of leading financial services and decently offers direct access to outsized and sophisticated shareholders. AIM has the potential to provide with all the significant financial services as required by the firm for listing, floating, reporting, auditing, broking, public relations, security analysis, printing, legalities, registering shareholders, etc. Rising higher from a percentage of 35.2% in September 2003, the institutional investors owned 40.9% by value of the shares listed on AIM in September 2005(Growth Company Investor, 2005), that consequently accounts for a very substantial institutional contribution of AIM, in small-capitalization market. 1.2.1 MARKET SIZE The multitude of companies traded on AIM come from different parts of the world and signify huge number of industries. At present there are approximately 1500 companies from more than 26 countries that are quoted on the AIM (London Stock Exchange, 2005). There is one common trait shared by all traded companies on AIM and i.e. a dynamic corporate attitude and a strong ambition for business expansion. AIM welcomes companies of varying sizes to become part of even though it was primarily designed for smaller firms, but companies of varying sizes if possessing a desire for growth and profitability, are equally encouraged to join the Alternative Investment Market. 1.2.2 OPERATIONS The operations of AIM are controlled by the London Stock Exchange, having a tendency to work ideal for companies with a capitalization and valuation from $20 million to $300 million. The costs for filings and entry are approximately $600,000, with ongoing annual costs of around $100,000. The range of capital-raising activities tends to be in between $4 million to $40 million with approximately 9 percent average cost of capital. The percentage of retail investment is higher than on the official list and the investors are largely institutional. 1.2.3 KEY STATISTICS Table: 01 AIM 1,635 UK 1,331 International 304 AIM Market Capitalisation  £94.4 Billion AIM IPOs in 2006 278 UK 201 International 77 Capital raised since 1995*  £40.1 Billion Capital raised in 2006*  £15.7 Billion UK  £10.3 Billion International  £5.4 Billion * New listings and further capital raises 1.2.4 DIVERSITY AND INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION AIM has a diverse market spanning (Figure, 02) in approximately 39 sectors having a number of international companies and investors. The AIM is comprised of key sectors in which there is resource sector that include mining and oil gas, financial sector includes real estate, equity investment instruments and general financial. The industrial sector of AIM is comprise of construction materials, electronic electrical equipment and support services whereas, the consumer services includes media and travel leisure. Apart from US the growth in international companies on AIM is also being driven through Canada, China, India and mainland Europe. 1.2.5 MARKET CAPITALISATION According to LSE statistics the international companies listed as UK Top Co are counted as domestic. The US investors 330 international companies are listed with a value of  £36.6bn equivalent to $73.5bn and over 70 US companies listed on AIM has a value of  £2.9bn that is equivalent to $5.8bn (London Stock Exchange, 2005). It is interesting to note that the international companies on AIM are larger than UK companies, with an average market capitalisation at 31 December 2007 of  £99.2 million compared with  £46.9 million for UK registered companies. The market capitalisation on Alternative Investment Market is expressed in the Figure, 03. It is important to signify that AIM is not subject to more extensive regulation and therefore, it offers a wider pool of investors, and this may result in some decline in the cost of capital (Errunza and Miller, 2000). CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION Establishing itself as the worlds most successful growth market after being launched by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in 1995, AIM provides opportunity to raise capital and a liquid market place to trade shares for small and medium sized growing companies. Over 3000 small growth companies have listed on AIM and these companies have raised a total of over  £60 billion, since the commencement of AIM. Global recession has caused complicated market conditions however; there are still some signs of recovery, such as the first major IPO of the year and on the other hand improvement can be observed in trading volumes and average; meanwhile, an improvement in fund raising conditions towards the end of 2009 and through 2010 is also predicted by the brokers and other market commentators (Thronton, 2009). In order to conserve its position in the market AIM has to become accustomed with current market conditions, while not losing sight of its roots and emerge as a market focused on providing growing companies with direct access to capital (Thronton, 2009). The main objective of the literature review is to summarise the existing research work to gain insights on the subject area and also to assess and explain the impacts of recession. The core element of the research is to conduct an empirical study of the relative volatility, analysis of market size, allowance and liquidity ratios of AIM and determining its rate of progression during economic commotion. 2.2 AIM- FACTS AND FIGURES The AIMs trading began on 19 June 1995 and there were only 10 companies listed on the first day of trading. Since the opening of the Third Market in 1987, AIM was Londons first new market and it is split into two indices, the AIM 50 and AIM 100 Index where AIM 50 includes the biggest names on the junior market by attracting fresh, budding and newly expanding firms which were incapable for admittance to the main FTSE lists (London Stock Exchange, 2005). Even after facing criticism for the costs by some experts the market succeeded in making it easier for smaller businesses to raise capital. In accordance with the rules by AIM, the companys costs rose up to 20 times higher in comparison to the earlier system. Notwithstanding the cost of raising capital was approximated to be an average of about  £100,000 for an AIM company, as compared to  £1m for a company on the main market (London Stock Exchange, 2005). There are now 1,276 AIM-listed companies. Liquidity among AIM stocks widely varies and the stocks having highest capitalisation and the largest free float represent comparable liquidity levels to the main market. There are a large number of illiquid stocks on the lower end of the market. AIM provides different trading platforms for different types of stock in order to improve the liquidity of the market but its volatility is not significantly diverse than other markets. 2.2.1 STOCK TRADING Large and frequently traded stocks are listed on AIM and there are small, infrequently traded stocks also listed with it therefore; no single trading mechanism is applicable to AIM stocks. Considering the time from the institution of AIM, it has exhibited very rapid growth in trading volumes (London Stock Exchange, 2005) as represented in Table, 02. The average annual growth rates over the period of a decade starting from1996 to the year 2005 are as follows; the turnover was around 36%; number of trades was 28%; and the number of shares traded were 35% approximately. The average number of shares per trade grew by 5% per year, whereas the average value per trade grew by 6% per year, over this period. The growth of trading on AIM occurred in two phases. There was a substantial drop in stock market prices observed during 2001- 2002 where there was negative volume growth which gradually recovered in the year 2003 followed by rapid growth of trading. 2.2.2 UNDERSIZED REGULATORY LOAD AIM regulations are designed to reduce burden for companies listing on this exchange. The admission process for AIM takes about three months, depending on circumstances (Audley, 2005) and in order to list on AIM; There is no need for trading record and on the spot listing of start-ups and cash shells; Smaller companies can also list as there is no minimum market capitalization; Reduced costs and time for listing as the admission documents are not pre-vetted by AIM or the U.K. Listing Authority; The lack of a minimum free float for preventing firms to sell off a substantial part of the business to list in AIM; Approval from prior shareholder is not required for acquisitions that also reduces the time and cost of acquisitions. There is an obligation to employ a Nomad at all times for each AIM-listed company. The Nomads carry out three main functions; To make a decision that if a company should be admitted to AIM or not; Managing the floatation process; and Advice the company regarding rules, before and after it has been listed. 2.2.3 COSTS FOR LISTINGS The admission fee of AIM is  £4,180 with a listing fee of  £4,180 per year and a value-added tax to these admission and annual fees is applied to UK companies. The total costs of admission to AIM are about  £350,000 to  £450,000 and a brokers fees of 3% 6% of any funds raised (Audley, 2005). Nomads are liable to undertake most of this process followed by any subsequent capital-raising and this keeps admission and listing costs under control. The costs to the firm of listing on AIM include: The initial costs to obtain the listing; Followed by initial floatations costs of any subsequent capital raising; and The annual costs of maintaining the listing. 2.2.4 THE MAIN MARKET London Stock Exchange is one of the worlds leading stock exchanges and AIM offers a great deal of progression to it and vice versa. During a period of January 2000 to December 2004, a total of 160 companies switched between AIM and the main market. About 81% went from the main market to AIM and almost 19% went from AIM to the main market concluding that out of every company graduated from AIM to the main market, four moved in reverse course (Dufour, Sutcliffe and Wells 2005). In accordance with a survey (Baker Tilly, 2005b) 17 firms moved from the main market to AIM and their reason (Table, 03) for moving as constituted by the survey were; Less regulation 53% More Flexibility 41% Less Expensive 24% Tax Benefits 12% Suitability 12%Table: 03 Furthermore, the survey (Baker Tilly 2005b) reveals that 64% of the main market companies considered moving in and back to AIM, out of which 26% actually planned to move whereas the rest of 34% companies considered it beneficial due to lack of provisional parameters, trouble-free acquisitions, greater flexibility and tax advantages. 2.2.5 TAXATION The following areas of tax relief are available for individual investors in U.K. companies listed on AIM (Baker Tilly, 2005a): The business asset taper relief tends to minimise the effective tax rate of capital gains tax up to 40% 10%. In gift relief a capital gains tax is overdue until a subsequent disposal by the recipient. Investment in AIM trading companies leads to indemnity from inheritance tax. Enterprise investment scheme offers relief from both income tax and capital gains tax. From the initial investment in new AIM shares about one fifth of the cost can be counterbalanced against income tax. In addition any capital gain is exempt from capital gains tax, while any capital loss (less the 20% income tax relief) can be offset against capital gains elsewhere. Investors are exempt from tax on dividends from the Venture Capital Trusts, and capital gains on their shares in the VCT. Investors also receive an initial income tax relief equal to 40% of their investment in new VCT shares. 2.2.6 REQUIREMENTS AND LISTING PROCEDURE Companies listed on AIM have to assign a nominated adviser to serve as their sponsor or representative and is responsible to prepare the prospectus in order to admit the issuer for trading on AIM. The function of a nomad is to assists the company in raising its initial capital provide market making and research for the issuers stock with the help of its brokerage and research departments. The contractual activities and correlation between the issuer and its nomad extends well beyond the initial public offering. Nomad remain active even after the initial listing on AIM so that a small issuer does not end up being left alone in a stock market crisis. New rules and regulations were instituted both for nomads and companies listed on the AIM exchange, in Feb, 2007. To provide further guidance and to illuminate the regulatory issues concerning disclosure requirements the rules for nomads and companies were put into practice. Although the changes to AIM rules are evolutionary rather than re volutionary, Nomads should not under-estimate the Exchanges emphasis on the responsibility of nomads for preserving the reputation and integrity of AIM (Audley, 2005). 2.3 ASSOCIATED RISKS AND BENEFITS The listing procedure is much more simplified in London Stock Exchange as there is no regulatory authority in the UK so it becomes the responsibility of the sponsoring nomad as a result of which the complete process becomes substantially quicker and inexpensive. The prospectus discloses all information that an investor needs for making an informed investment decision and its less comprehensive in most cases where the SEC-filed registration statement and the review process, for the most part, is absent (Audley, 2005). Therefore, the SEC governmental review process of the prospectus, the massive amount of periodic regulatory filings and compulsory financial reporting needs are eradicated by listing on AIM. The emerging growth companies are offered with very greater options by eliminating the need for underwriters that are only interested large deals so a great number of foreign companies are flocking to AIM (London Stock Exchange, 2006). Listing on AIM gives an emerging growth company the opportunity to go public and raise capital for reasonable fees and under reasonable terms and conditions. AIM rules require not only a nominated broker but also a nominated adviser. There were companies on AIM which caused regulatory nervousness and the big guns at the DTI, Treasury and Stock Exchange focused their canon on nominated advisers. This had a knock-on effect on costs. Nominated advisers lay off their responsibilities on solicitors and accountants who duly reproduce and costs shoot up (London Stock Exchange, 2006). Professional advisers, anxious to minimise the risk of adverse criticism by the regulatory authorities, are now applying Official List standards. This has driven costs up and has damaged the purpose of AIM (London Stock Exchange, 2006). 2.4 FISCAL AGITATION AND AIM Economic recovery is gradual but consistent followed by the recession that hit the stock markets worldwide and for London Stock Exchange, particularly AIM market; there is a need for investment by small companies. The number of companies quoted on AIM, which is the London Stock Exchanges Alternative Investment Market, is now just 1,276 compared with more than 1,600 in the year 2007, which constitutes that, more than one company a day delists from AIM throughout last year (Northedge, 2010). It is also noticeable that notwithstanding the soaring share prices up to 66 per cent in the year 2009, outperforming the main stock market, only 36 new companies joined AIM. It is the lowest annual total since the launch of AIM in1995 and a tiny fraction as compared to the joining of 462 companies that in 2006 (Northedge, 2010). About 290 companies delisted compared with 218 in the year 2008, and others have been liquidating their assets and returning the proceeds to shareholders. Reported by (Wac hman, 2009) in Guardian, The number of companies having a capital under  £5m or  £10m has halved within two years and approximately two-thirds of AIMs companies are capitalised at less than  £25m and almost10 per cent are valued at below  £2m. Despite share prices falling, the delisting of the small firms has become a basis for the average AIM Companys estimation twofold to  £43m since the year 2006. The continued loss of small firms from AIM and some Britains top 200 companies remain there give rise to a fear that AIM will become another version of the main market leaving no alternative for smaller businesses to be quoted. That is already making it harder for small firms to raise capital to invest in Britains economic recovery (Northedge, 2010).

Health Promotion and Education for HIV

Health Promotion and Education for HIV Introduction The prevalence of HIV infections has increased rapidly in recent years in the UK. In 2006, it was estimated that a total of 73,000 people were infected with HIV, with a further new 6,393 cases reported in 2007 (Health Protection Agency 2007). The epidemiology of HIV infection has changed over the years. In the mid-1980s, the three groups of people considered to be at the highest risk of HIV infection were men who have sex with men, injection drug users and those who have received blood products (e.g. through blood transfusions). However, since 1999, the majority of new infections have been reported among heterosexuals (Health Protection Agency 2007). The prognosis for HIV-infected individuals has improved over the past ten years. Although there is currently no vaccine and no cure for HIV, HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) has proven highly effective in delaying the onset of AIDS and lengthening the lifespan of infected individuals (Rutland et al. 2007).The increased preval ence of HIV infections in the UK means that healthcare professionals in all settings are more likely to care for patients with HIV than in past years. A number of studies have been conducted worldwide to examine healthcare professionals’ knowledge and/or attitudes to HIV in countries including the UK (Tierney 1995; Laraqui et al. 2002; Pisal et al. 2007). Findings showed that healthcare workers are frequently fearful, negative, ill-informed and discriminatory towards HIV-positive patients. Furthermore, fears regarding perceived risks when caring for parents with HIV may hamper quality of patient care (Pisal et al. 2007). As a result, HIV-positive patients may experience stigma and dehumanisation, together with feelings of isolation and guilt. There is an unmet need for effective education programmes to increase healthcare professionals’ knowledge about HIV, modes of transmission and precautions that should be taken when caring for HIV-positive patients. Studies have shown that education programmes to increase levels of knowledge among nurses significantly reduced fears about interacting with HIV-positive patients (Pis al et al. 2007). This paper discusses the development of an educational leaflet aimed at healthcare professionals, analyses the methodology used and evaluates the leaflet and the process of development. Leaflet development When devising health promotion and education programmes, the three main components which must be considered are planning, implementation and evaluation and it may be helpful to use a health promotion model in this process (Whitehead 2003). The Ewles and Simnett model (1992) proposes five different ways of considering health promotion which include a medical approach, behaviour change approach, educational change approach, client-centred approach and social change approach. Our health education approach best fit the educational and behavioural change approaches. By educating the target group of individuals, the knowledge they gain will empower them to make informed decisions and will act as an important influencer on their behaviour (Aghamolaei et al. 2005). In their model, Ewles and Simnett identified 9 stages which were used in the planning of the health education initiative discussed in this paper and which include: Identification of the target group Identification of the needs of the target group Establishment of the goals of education Formulation of specific objectives Identification of resources Planning of content and method Planning of methods of evaluation Implementation of education Evaluation of effectiveness. Planning The target group for this health education strategy was healthcare support workers who may come into contact with clients infected with HIV or AIDS. As discussed, there is a clear need for education programmes for healthcare professionals who may have contact with HIV-positive clients. The main goals of this strategy were to increase levels of knowledge about HIV with a view to reducing fears and stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals, and alleviate any existing misconceptions surrounding the spread of the HIV virus in clinical practice. The approach taken in this strategy was to develop an educational information leaflet. Previous research has demonstrated that leaflets that promote knowledge of HIV are effective in reducing fear and anxiety among healthcare workers, while also increasing overall knowledge of the disease (Pisal et al. 2007). Leaflets have been shown to provide a number of benefits. For example, they can be used to re-enforce information delivered verbally and c an deliver a greater volume of information that via verbal communication alone (Secker 1997). Furthermore, leaflets may be retained for future reference and can be shared with others. However, there is evidence to suggest that health promotion leaflets needs to be carefully designed, since not all leaflets communicate their messages effectively to their target audience (Shire Hall Communications 1992). Methodology Sources of information Information on the HIV was sourced by searching the Pubmed electronic database and Department of Health websites. Up-to-date, high-quality publications were selected where possible. The Health Protection Agency websites was also search for recent UK-specific epidemiology data. Information relating to the design of the leaflet was gathered from both Pubmed and Google searches. All information sourced was read carefully, findings were accurately summarised and key points were highlighted. Leaflet design The design of educational leaflets should assist the reader’s understanding of the content within (Secker 1997). The leaflet title was chosen carefully so as to be appealing and encourage readers to want to read the entire leaflet. A design theme was chosen which was applied consistently throughout each of the pages. Black and red text was used against a yellow background which demonstrated good readability and made the leaflet stand out on the shelf among a group of other leaflets. The choice of colours was designed to reflect a ‘danger/hazard’ theme which was intended to motivate the reader. While it could be argued that the association of red with danger may actually re-enforce existing negative beliefs about HIV, we believe that our choice of a strong and positive leaflet title negates this possibility. The Times New Roman font in a 12 point size was used for the main text. Research suggests that this is one of the best fonts for educational materials, and that a 12 point font size is the minimum size for readers without visual impairment (Secker 1997). Although it is acknowledged that using a font size as large as this limits the amount of text that can be accommodated, a shortcoming of many educational leaflets is that they contain text which is too small to read comfortably (Albert and Chadwick 1992). The images used in the leaflet were relevant to the content. Research has shown that the use of illustrations is an important factor to consider in leaflet design and that illustrations should always be informative and relative to the content of the leaflet, otherwise they will detract from the information being conveyed (Rohret and Ferguson 1990; Albert and Chadwick 1992). By using ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions of similar images, we aimed to convey some of the feelings that HIV-positive clients may experience in healthcare settings and how a change in the behaviour and attitude of healthcare workers can have a positive impact on the client’s experience as well as improving the interaction between the client and care provider. Another important factor which must be considered when using images, pictures and other illustrative materials is their source and whether there are copyright issues associated with their use. Unfortunately, we did not consider the legal implications associated with our choice of illustration, which subsequently prevented the leaflet from being distributed to the target audience. A folded one third A4 size leaflet, printed on yellow paper with a gloss finish was chosen. This is a popular choice of size for educational leaflets and provides good portability, being small enough to put in a bag. The use of folding negates the need for staples which add to cost. [Client: you didn’t mention anything about leaflet size, stock of paper or finish so I’ve added in what I have found from my own experience of designing educational materials, although I’m not sure of the exact stock of paper that would be the best for a leaflet of this description and no papers discuss this] Language According to Bennett and Heller (2006), â€Å"Speaking the language of the audience is crucial in attempting to appeal to them and change their understanding of any issue†. The language in this leaflet used simple terminology that is easily understood and is jargon free, two factors which have been shown to be of importance in educational materials (Ewles and Simnett 2003). Personal and colloquial terms were used which were designed to engage the reader and encourage critical thinking and reflection of their own clinical practice. The use of personal pronouns has previously been shown to be effective in making the reader feel that the leaflet is addressing them directly, thereby making it more appealing (Glasper and Burge 1992; Albert and Chadwick 1992). The use of long words was limited and sentences were generally short and succinct, with each attempting to explain a single idea (Manning 1981). Evidence has shown that this facilitates the integration and storage of information into memory. This is an important factor since the cognitive load theory proposes that redundant forms of information may require longer processing and may prevent the reader from learning (Doak et al. 1996). Research has also demonstrated that the more long words and long sentences used, the more difficult the leaflet will be for the reader to understand (Pastore and Berg 1987; Bernier and Yasko 1991). Simplicity in both choice of language and sentence structure is also of value if the leaflet were to be translated into other languages or into Braille. While this leaflet was only designed for target groups within the UK, it could also be translated successfully if required. Readability may be assessed more accurately by performing a readability test to determine the reading age of any written material. These tests typically relate the number of long words and sentences to the reading age necessary to understand the materials. Evidence shows that the reading age of the majority of adults in many developed countries is 10-14 years (Vahabi and Ferris 1995). Although we did not employ a readability test when developing this leaflet, it is an activity that would have been helpful to confirm the readability of the material we had developed and would be particularly valuable when developing patient educational materials where reading age would be of greater importance. Content and organisation of information It is important that educational materials are accurate and up to date (Secker 1997). As previously discussed, the most recent information was selected for inclusion in our leaflet. Summarised information was discussed for suitability and then reviewed for accuracy by several members of the team as a quality control exercise. The content of this leaflet is quite specific and should be applicable for the foreseeable future, unless a vaccine or cure for HIV/AIDS is developed or there are changes to universal precautions. Nonetheless, it may have been worth including a publication date on the leaflet to enable the reader to quickly see how old the leaflet is and if a more up-to-date version may be available. The organisation of text within the leaflet is a very important factor influencing whether the material makes sense to the reader (Secker 1997). Studies have shown that educational information should be presented in a way that reflects the priorities of the reader (Bernier and Yasko 1991). Therefore, paragraphs of text were arranged so that the most important and relevant facts were discussed first. This arrangement has been shown to facilitate the assimilation of information and re-enforce learning (Manning 1981). Sequential lists of bullet points were used to present the text included in the leaflet. These have also been shown to enhance assimilation, when compared with blocks of bulk information delivered in a narrative form (Manning 1981). Key points within the text were emphasised in bold type since the use of colour has shown to be ineffective (Kitching 1990) and a number of colours were already employed in the design theme. The text in the leaflet was justified which is not in line with the recommendation of unjustified, left-aligned text using indentations for ease of readability (Kitching 1990). [Client: you don’t mention whether headings were used in the leaflet. Sentence case headings in bold type placed against the left-hand margin with plenty of space around are effective in standing out from the main text and will assist the reader in quickly locating the information they require within the leaflet (Dixon and Park, 1990) Reference: Dixon, E. Park, R. 1990, ‘Do patients understand written health information?’, Nursing Outlook, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 278-81.] Evidence has shown that leaflets should convey only essential information and contain references to further reading in a separate section (Vahabi and Ferris 1995). In our leaflet, the name of the first author and the year were included in the text as citations for source references. For a more continuous flow, it may have been better to replace the author name with a superscript number which relates to the full reference which would be included in a reference list at the end of the leaflet. Since this leaflet is aimed at healthcare professionals who aim to use research-based evidence to inform best practice, it would be particularly important to include the sources of the reference materials to encourage further reading; however, due to space constraints, we were not able to include this reference list in our leaflet. Implementation The leaflet has not been distributed to the intended target group due to legal implications surrounding the images used. The original implementation plan included: (1) distribution of the leaflet after infection control study days held within the hospital, or at study sessions focussing on HIV/AIDS as a method of re-enforcing the verbal information already delivered; (2) inclusion of the leaflet as part of the induction package for relevant new members of staff; and (3) inclusion of leaflets on stands already located in hospital common rooms or other venues. Evaluation As discussed above, since the leaflet has not been distributed to the target audience, it has not been possible to evaluate the success of our approach. We planned to pilot our leaflet to a selected group of healthcare support workers and gain feedback both verbally and via the use of a questionnaire designed to address the quality of content, readability and use of language within the leaflet. Gaining preliminary feedback on the leaflet may have helped us to address any issues identified prior to implementation. The specific limitations identified in our leaflet have already been discussed within the relevant sections of this paper. However, when reflecting on our approach to producing this leaflet, we were able to identify a number of other areas where we feel that the process could be improved in the future: (1) experimenting with other colours may make the leaflet aesthetically more appealing; (2) including the address of the charity listed, instead of just the website, would enable those individuals without internet facilities to also access this valuable resource more easily; (3) when searching for published literature on knowledge and attitudes of healthcare professionals to HIV, although many studies were identified, there were few recent studies conducted within the UK. For this reason, it may have been worth considering designing a preliminary questionnaire to gather the attitudes and beliefs of the healthcare workers within our particular setting to ensure that we were designing a leaflet which addressed their specific needs; and (4) we believe that the use of an interactive tool, such as a quiz, would further engage the target audience, serving to re-enforce and challenge what they have learnt from the leaflet. Conclusions Our leaflet met the majority of published criteria for well-designed educational material, in terms of content, language and design. The leaflet contained up-to-date, accurate information which was relevant to the target audience. The overall look and feel of the leaflet was appealing and uncrowded with good readability, while the use of relevant images helped to convey the important messages contained within the leaflet. The major limitation of our methodology was the use of images with surrounding legal implications which prevented the leaflet from being distributed. This made is impossible to evaluate the success of our approach which was very disappointing. Nonetheless, developing this leaflet has provided valuable experience which can be applied when designing similar health promotion and education programmes in the future. Bibliography Aghamolei, T., Eftekhar, H., Mohammed, K., Nahjavani, M., Shojaeizadeh, D., Ghofranipour, F., Safa, O. 2005, ‘Effects of a health education program on behaviour, HbA1c and health-related quality of life in diabetic patients’, Acta Medica Iranica, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 89-94. Albert, T. Chadwick, S. 1992, ‘How readable are practice leaflets?’, British Medical Journal, vol. 305, pp. 1266-8. Bennett and Heller 2006, Design studies: theory and research in graphic design, Princeton Architectural Press, New York. Bernier, M. J. Yasko, J. 1991,‘Designing and evaluating printed education materials: model and instrument development’, Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 18, pp. 253-63. Doak, C. C,, Doak L. G., Root, J. H. 1996, Teaching patients with low literacy skills, 2nd ed, Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Philadelphia. Ewles and Simnett 1992, Promoting Health: a practical guide. 2nd ed, Scutari Press, London. Ewles and Simnett 2003, Promoting Health: a practical guide. 5th ed, Scutari Press, London. Ezedinachi, E., Ross, M. W., Meremiku, M., Essien, E. J., Edem, C. B., Ekure, E., Ita, O. 2002,â€Å"The impact of an intervention to change health workers’ HIV/AIDS attitudes and knowledge in Nigeria: a controlled trial’, Public Health, vol. 116, pp. 106-12 Glasper, A. Burge, D. 1992, ‘Developing family information leaflets’, Nursing Standard, vol. 6, no. 25, pp. 24-7. Health Protection Agency 2007, Testing Times: HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the United Kingdom, 2007. Retrieved 31st July 2008 from: http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1203084355941 Kitching, J. B. 1990, ‘Patient information leaflets – the state of the art’, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, vol. 83, pp. 298-300. Pisal, H., Sutar, S., Sastry, J., Kapadia-Kundu, N., Joshi, A., Joshi, M., Leslie, J., Scotti, L., Bharucha, K., Suryavanshi, N., Phadke, M., Bollinger, R., Shankar, A.V. 2007, ‘Nurses health education program in India increases HIV knowledge and reduces fear’, Journal of the Association of Nurses and AIDS Care, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 32-43. Laraqui, C. H., Tripodi, D., Rahhali, A., Bichara, M., Laraqui, S., Curtes, J. P., Verger, C., Zahraoui, M. 2002,’Knowledge, practice, and behaviour of healthcare workers confronted to AIDS and the occupational risk of HIV transmission in Morocco, Medecine et Maladies Infectieuses, vol. 32, pp. 307-14. Manning, D. 1981, ‘Writing readable health messages’, Public Health Reports, vol. 96, no. 5, pp. 464-5. Pastore, P. Berg, B. 1987, ‘The evaluation of patient education materials: focus on readability’, Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 216-9. Rohret, L. Ferguson, K. J. 1990, ‘Effective use of patient education illustrations’, Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 15, pp. 73-5. Rutland, E., Foley, E., O’Mahony, C., Miller, M., Maw, R., Kell, P., Rowen, D. 2007, ‘How normalised is HIV care in the UK? A survey of current practice and opinion’, Sexually Transmitted Infections, vol. 83, pp. 151-4. Secker, J. 1997, ‘Assessing the quality of patient education leaflets’, Coronary Health Care, vol. 1, pp. 37-41. Shire Hall Communications 1992, Consumer leaflets – a write off?, Shire Hall Communications, London. Tibdewel, S. S. Wadhva, S. K. 2001, ‘HIV/AIDS awareness among hospital employees’, Indian Journal of Medical Science, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 69-72. Vahabi, M. Ferris, L. 1995, ‘Improving written patient education materials: a review of the evidence’, Health Education Journal, vol. 54, pp. 99-106. Whitehead, D. 2003, ‘Evaluating health promotion: a model for nursing practice’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 490-8.

Carvers Realism From Fires Essay examples -- essays research papers f

How does Carver create precision of reality with his characters, focusing on Fires? When looking at the works of Raymond Carver, one can feel a sense of autobiography, that the characters in his stories are struggling against the same circumstances that Carver himself once struggled through. How true this is, is marginal to say the least, for Carver tells us in Fires that anything from a phone call to living in a seedy apartment in Jerusalem for four months is cause to influence his writing. But taking this as subject of influence for his stories, one must then look at his characters, who at times more than closely resemble a certain element of Carver himself in a certain situation that Carver has since been in. The essence of the characters make Carvers stories all the more realistic, as you can sense the trials and tribulations that these people have gone through, and are being faced with as we read each page further. In looking at Carvers Fires, a collaborations of essays, poems, and stories, we can see the realism of each character, and in doing so, reflect them upon Carver for some likeness. But is this truly where the characters come from? Are they just a reflection of Carver and his life? In private desperation, Raymond Carvers characters struggle through their lives, knowing, with occasional clarity, that the “good life'; they had once hoped would be achieved through hard work, will not come about. In many ways, Carvers life was the model for all of his characters. Married to Maryann Burke at nineteen, and having two children in the space of seventeen months, the Carvers life was decided for years to come. Early on Carver felt, along with his wife, that hard work would take care of nearly everything. We had great dreams, my wife and I. We thought we could bow our necks, work very hard, and do all that we set our hearts to do. But we were mistaken. (Fires, p. 31) Somewhere in the middle of this life of dead end jobs and child raising, he realised, very much like one of his characters, that things would not change. He recounts one of the strongest of these moments in his essay on writing influences, Fires. He was at the laundromat washing clothes and, at this point in the essay, waiting for a dryer: When and if one of the dryers ever stopped, I planned to rush over to it with my shopping basket of damp clothes. Understand, IR... ...it feels like, by virtue of having lived it myself for so long,'; he said. “Half my family is still living like this. They still don’t know how they are going to make it through the next month or two';. (Gentry, p.138) The precision found in Carver’s writing comes from Carver himself, his experiences, his rises, and his downfalls. Carver’s stories changed with his life, and his characters reflect this. We can say a certain percentage of his stories dealt with the working poor, or alcoholics out of work, or adulterers. Or we can say that overall he dealt with people who had no hope, or little hope. He once said, “It’s strange. You never start out life with the intention of becoming a bankrupt or an alcoholic or a cheat and a thief. Or a liar.'; (Gentry, p.38) At one time Carver was all of these. And so were his characters. Bibliography Carver, R (1997) Fires: Essays, Poems, Stories The Harvill Press: London Gentry, M.B., Stull, W.L., eds.(1990) Conversations with Raymond Carver University Press of Mississippi: Jackson Nesset, K (1995) The Stories of Raymond Carver-A Critical Study Ohio University Press: Athens Pp.1-8

Determinism Vs. Free Will Essay -- Choices, God, Determinism

Many people often wonder what influences their choices, why they do the things they do, and why the world functions the way it does. Many like to argue that people make the choices they make because things are determined by nature and nurture, no other factors. Others like to argue that people have full control over the choices they make and there are no constraining factors. In this paper I will demonstrate that determinism is false and people are not typically determined by nature and nurture to perform the evil actions they do. I will identify what determinism is, the different forms of determinism, why people find it to be true, why I find it false, and show different examples of why. I will then go on to discuss free will, the different forms of free will, and why people do things out of free will. The definition of determinism â€Å"The world is governed by (or is under the sway of) determinism if and only if, given a specified way things are at a time t, the way things go thereafter is fixed as a matter of natural law.† The root of the philosophical idea is that everything can be explained or that everything has a reason for being and being as it is and nothing else. There are also different types of determinism that people believe in. Soft, hard, and casual determinism are the three different types of determinism. Soft determinist believe that free will is compatible with determinism. They believe in determinism, but believe free will can be present. â€Å"According to this soft determinism perspective, a person’s behavior may be caused by internal psychological states that, in turn have causes, but if no immediately pressing external agent affects the behavior, the person is said to have free will,† (Ogletree&Oberle, pg.98... ...Matile Ogletree and Crystal D. Oberle, Behavior and Philosophy , Vol. 36, (2008), pp. 97-111 The Problem of Evil and Moral Indifference,Tim Mawson, Religious Studies , Vol. 35, No. 3 (Sep., 1999), pp. 323-345 Hoefer, Carl, Hoefer,. "Causal Determinism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Jan. 2003. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. McKenna, Michael, McKenna,. "Compatibilism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 26 Apr. 2004. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Moral Responsibility, Determinism, and the Ability to Do Otherwise, Peter Van Inwagen, The Journal of Ethics , Vol. 3, No. 4, The Contributions of Harry G. Frankfurt to Moral Responsibility Theory (1999), pp. 341-350 "Two-Stage Models for Free Will." Two-Stage Models for Free Will. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. The Organization of Evil, C. Fred Alford, Political Psychology , Vol. 11, No. 1 (Mar., 1990), pp. 5-27 Determinism Vs. Free Will Essay -- Choices, God, Determinism Many people often wonder what influences their choices, why they do the things they do, and why the world functions the way it does. Many like to argue that people make the choices they make because things are determined by nature and nurture, no other factors. Others like to argue that people have full control over the choices they make and there are no constraining factors. In this paper I will demonstrate that determinism is false and people are not typically determined by nature and nurture to perform the evil actions they do. I will identify what determinism is, the different forms of determinism, why people find it to be true, why I find it false, and show different examples of why. I will then go on to discuss free will, the different forms of free will, and why people do things out of free will. The definition of determinism â€Å"The world is governed by (or is under the sway of) determinism if and only if, given a specified way things are at a time t, the way things go thereafter is fixed as a matter of natural law.† The root of the philosophical idea is that everything can be explained or that everything has a reason for being and being as it is and nothing else. There are also different types of determinism that people believe in. Soft, hard, and casual determinism are the three different types of determinism. Soft determinist believe that free will is compatible with determinism. They believe in determinism, but believe free will can be present. â€Å"According to this soft determinism perspective, a person’s behavior may be caused by internal psychological states that, in turn have causes, but if no immediately pressing external agent affects the behavior, the person is said to have free will,† (Ogletree&Oberle, pg.98... ...Matile Ogletree and Crystal D. Oberle, Behavior and Philosophy , Vol. 36, (2008), pp. 97-111 The Problem of Evil and Moral Indifference,Tim Mawson, Religious Studies , Vol. 35, No. 3 (Sep., 1999), pp. 323-345 Hoefer, Carl, Hoefer,. "Causal Determinism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Jan. 2003. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. McKenna, Michael, McKenna,. "Compatibilism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 26 Apr. 2004. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Moral Responsibility, Determinism, and the Ability to Do Otherwise, Peter Van Inwagen, The Journal of Ethics , Vol. 3, No. 4, The Contributions of Harry G. Frankfurt to Moral Responsibility Theory (1999), pp. 341-350 "Two-Stage Models for Free Will." Two-Stage Models for Free Will. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. The Organization of Evil, C. Fred Alford, Political Psychology , Vol. 11, No. 1 (Mar., 1990), pp. 5-27

What Massage Is the Poet Trying to Convey About “The Charge of the Light Brigade”

What massage is the poet trying to convey about â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade†? In the poem â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade† Alfred Tennyson tries to convey the readers to honor the qualities of the actual Light Brigade. With the use of figurative language, effective structure and techniques he achieve to show the determination and bravery of the six hundred soldiers that fought in the Brigade. Tennyson firstly introduce us to the heroes of the poem in the first stanza when he says â€Å"All in the valley of Death rode the six hundred†.This metaphor show the bravery of the â€Å"six hundred† because they where riding towards their death. The personification of Death suggest that something terrible happened to the soldiers, and the phrase â€Å"valley of Death† helps the creation of an image of the setting,uncertain and terrible, which the six hundred where riding towards. Tennyson then decides to put a man shouting a military order, â €Å"Charge for the guns†. He leaves the person unknown to emphasize at the brave men and that they were following orders. The word â€Å"guns† confirms that the destination of the Brigade was towards their death.The stanza ends with the repetition of the lines † into the valley of death rode the six hundred† to emphasize more their fatal lost and their strength to face death. The message of the poem is described using a variety of techniques. The rhetorical question â€Å"Was there a man dismayed? † Suggest that the soldiers didn't lost their courage and they didn't overcomes by terror while facing the death. This shows the loyalty and toughness of the heroes. The rhetorical question is contrasting with the following group of lines â€Å"Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die†.There is alliteration being used. These lines sum up the heroism and nobility of the six hundred, which they did their job without reasoning, without replying even that their lives where based on that. Tennyson attempts to make us feel the way the soldiers did when they where surrounded, by using onomatopoeia through the lines â€Å"Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them†. The use of senses(optic and hearing) successfully help the reader to feel the moment, the terror of the soldiers as well as understanding better the quality of heir pride and strength to keep fighting and not be overcome by their fears. Their bravery is being described by the phrase â€Å"Bodly they rode and well†. There is a powerful personification of â€Å"jaws of Death/mouth of Hell† which represent the battlefield and the dangers, which again emphasize how heroic the men fought but it contrasting again with their fatal lost. Tennyson tries to show the response of the world to this charge by saying † charging an army while all the world wondered†. Tennyson imagines that th e viewers of the battle are wondering with awe and amazement.At the end of stanza four, the poet through the phrase â€Å"Then they rode back, but not, not the six hundred† shows that the charge has ended, the soldiers are turning back. The repetition of the word â€Å"not† shows the terrible casualties of the Light Brigade, the lost of many men out of the six hundred. Furthermore, Tennyson recognize the soldiers as heroes as he emphasizes to the lost of their life † while horse and hero fell†. There is a vivid image been created of the horse and the hero fall to the ground dead. The poem last stanza begins with a rhetorical question â€Å"When can their glory fade?The speaker tries to make the soldiers of the Light Brigade legends, to emphasize that their glory should never fade. Tennyson want us to remember the Light Brigade as a â€Å"wild charge† and repeats the line â€Å"all the world wondered† this time Tennyson is referring to us, to show that we should be amazed with the wild charge of the brave heroes and we should wonder for their strength and pride. The poem ends with some commands â€Å"Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred†. These commands summarize the purpose of the poem, to tell us, that we should remember and respect these noble war heroes, to honor their lives.

An Observation of a Bat Mitzvah

The bar mitzvah is not actually a ceremony or rite of passage as many people believe. It is actually a boy of the Jewish religion who has attained the age of 13. It is thus a legal status that is automatically ascribed with no need for ceremony or any other religious rite. A parallelism would be attaining adult age, typically 18 in most societies.The bar mitzvah pertains to males while a bat mitzvah is to females, and females become bat mitzvot (plural of mitzvah) at the age of 12. Bar or bat mitzvah translates to a â€Å"coming of age† and signifies the transition of the child to that of beginning adulthood insofar as religious practice was concerned, and be counted as part of the minyan or quorum for public prayer. While it is widely practiced, there is actually no direct mention of it in the Talmud. Because women are traditionally not allowed to read from the Torah, it was a momentous occasion when in 1922 the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan was the first bat mitzvah to read from the Torah in celebration of her 12th birthday. (â€Å"The first American bat mitzvah†) Today, many young girls celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah with a grandiosity that rivals that of a Sweet 16 birthday party. I. The Ceremony The synagogue was a study of the diversity in the US. On one side was the families of the two girls who were to become bat mitzvot and since one of the girls was an adoptee of Chinese descent and the adoptive mother was not Jewish, there were quite a few who were not. Among the congregation, many were not Jewish as well, guests of the girls and their families who were to join in the celebration. (Schapiro) A box of commemorative yarmulke or distinctive skullcap enabled male guests to help themselves to one because it is expected that they cover their heads when participating in the service. However, only Jewish males over 13 wore the ritual fringes called the talit. Aside from this, there did not seem to be a distinction in dress for Jews and non-Jews. Some small children were present, and were quite surprisingly free to get up and roam as they pleased as long as they behaved. The unruly ones were quietly led away to what can only be supposed is a playroom. On the eastern wall of the synagogue, the Ark is evident. This is the repository of the Torah, and above the Ark is a light called the Ner Tamid or eternal light. There is also a representation of the Tablets of the Covenant. On the bima, the raised platform on which the service was to be conducted. The two girls were seated on the right side of the altar. The girls’ fathers laid the prayer shawl on their respective daughter’s shoulders, signifying a transfer of power, or responsibility, whichever perspective works, and the choir raised their voice in a welcoming song in Hebrew. The rabbi commenced with the reading, and at each part the congregation was told when to sit or stand. This was especially helpful for non-Jewish participants of the service. The girls then were directed to approach the Ark where the Torah scrolls were kept. Each took their scroll and carried it around the sanctuary, as each Jewish guest touch their prayer books to it to signify love and devotion to its teachings. The girls then took their place at the bima in front of the congregation to read out the scrolls in Hebrew. This is referred to as the aliyah. The girls each read part of Chapter 21 of Exodus which was the reading for the Shabbat for that week. Afterwards, each girl gave a speech in English, a d’rash about how the experience preparing for becoming bat mitzvot had meant to them. Each girl then touched the fringe of their prayer shawl to the Torah before kissing it and returning to their seat. The parents (excepting the non-Jewish mother) spoke before the congregation thanking God for the blessing of freeing them from the responsibility for their child’s sins. This part was spoken in English. The rabbi then said a few words directed at the new bat mitzvot and the girls then proceeded with the concluding prayers, the Haftorah and then the ceremony was over. The next part of the celebration was the fun part, the Kiddush and seudat mitzvah that translates today to a party held outside the synagogue, where speeches and advice are liberally given for the elucidation of the new bat mitzvah.   Traditional gifts with associations with the number 18 (considered a â€Å"lucky† number in Jewish tradition, means also â€Å"life†) and more generic gifts were given at the reception. (â€Å"Bar and Bat Mitzvah†; Rich â€Å"Gifts†) II. Discussion Mitzvah is the word for â€Å"commandment,† and bat is â€Å"daughter† so a bat mitzvah is a daughter of the commandment. The whole point of this rite is to commemorate the child’s coming of age but the way it is practiced tends to be highly adaptable to the particular societal context. The ceremony itself has no mention in the Talmud so the rituals have evolved over time and application. (â€Å"Bar & bat mitzvah†) Preparation for the bar or bat mitzvah typically begins a year or more prior to the projected date, especially for modern Jews or those who are newly converted. This is to allow the child to become familiar with the Jewish commandments, prayer, history and the Hebrew language. A large portion of this education is overseen by the cantor, or scholar. The responsibilities of the bat mitzvah includes the keeping of the mitzvot or commandments as embodied in the Torah, all 613 of them. She is also expected to observe rituals such as fasting days. Interestingly enough, this is also considered the point in which the bat mitzvah can decide to remain or not within the faith. Because of this, a confirmation ceremony is slated for the 16th or 18th year of the bat mitzvah in   some communities. (â€Å"Bar/bat mitzvah†) More orthodox Jewish families prepare their male children for eventual emancipation by starting their preparations at kindergarten age and beyond the age of bar mitzvah. Orthodox Jews do not allow women to participate in religious services, so becoming a bat mitzvah in these communities does not include the service and is usually celebrated at home with a small party that merely commemmorates the child’s 12th birthday. Reformist sects take the cue from their spiritual leader, the rabbi. This was what happened to Judith Kaplan the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan, who believed women should be given equal consideration and importance in the community. However, for the longest time bat mitzvot usually celebrated on a Friday rather than on the Shabbat, or did not read directly from the Torah, so deeply ingrained was the bias against women in the Jewish orthodoxy. (â€Å"The first American bat mitzvah†) With the influence of American society and growing diversity in religion, however practice has been inevitably affected. The number of religious intermarriages is rising and many religious groups have seen the wisdom of adapting to the changing society. This is especially apparent in the ceremony described above. The bar mitzvot are now allowed to read from the Torah, and are instructed in this by the cantor with the benevolent overseeing of the rabbi himself. They participate fully in the ceremony, and the fact that one of the parents is non-Jewish is no longer a big issue as long as they play a passive role in the service itself. Outsiders are welcome to participate in a passive manner as well, and religious scholars are more than willing to explain the intricacies of the service to the clueless. There is even a growing trend among newly converted Jews who become bar or bat mitzvah in ceremonies held at any point in their life, some as old as 80. Because these people came into the faith late in life, they are considered to have attained a â€Å"coming of age† when they have mastered the basics of the Jewish religion. III. Conclusion For all children, rites of passage are important highlights in their lives. For Jewish children in particular, the concept of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah and the formal celebration of the event focuses on the importance of having a good knowledge of Judaism. At the same time, it serves as inducting a sense of belonging for children, which at this particular point in their lives is crucial for optimal development. Because survival of the congregation that is yearly becoming diverse, even the most stringent religious traditions have been compelled to unbend and accommodate the evolving population. The practice of commemorating the becoming of a bat mitzvah is a particularly good example of this accommodation. Works Cited â€Å"Bar and Bat Mitzvah†. Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence. 20010406. FindArticles.com. 17 Jul. 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602/is_0000/ai_2602000074 Bar & bat mitzvah. Jewish Celebrations. 2007. Mazornet.com. 18 July 2007 . Bar/bat mitzvah. Patriarchy Website.January 2000. Israel CS Lim. 18 July 2007 . Rich, Tracey. Bar Mitzvah and bat mitzvah. Judaism 101. 2005. JewFAQ.org. 18 July 2007 . Schapiro, Moshe. What is a bar or bat mitzvah? Jewish Lifecycles. 18 January 2000. Aish HaTorah. 18 July 2007 . The first American bat mitzvah. Jewish Virtual Library. 2007. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 18 July 2007 .